Toy bank



T. C. MARTIN Sept. 1, 1953 TOY BANK Filed July 7, 1949 am ms INVENTOR. Thomas C. Man 7 1,

Patented Sept. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY BANK Thomas C. Martin, Cohasset, Mass.

Application July 7, 1949, Serial No. 103,439

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a toy and more particularly to a toy bank which is formed in a figurine simulating a water fowl in which a coin may be dropped into the head of the water fowl and in dropping through will animate the beak of the fowl so that it will pop up and down. A further feature of the present invention is that within the figurine is supported a container in the nature or shape of an egg and the bank may have an opening at a suitable place, in the rear half if desired, for removing the egg into which the coins drop when inserted in the device.

The device may take forms of various water fowls, and one simulation in the present case is the fanciful association of the goose that laid the golden egg.

Further and other advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the same, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the toy with parts in fragmentary section.

Figure 2 is a plane view looking down from the top with parts in fragmentary section.

Figure 3 is a front view as seen from the front of Figure 1 with parts in fragmentary section, and

Figure 4 shows a detail of the hinge whereby the toy may be opened.

The present invention is preferably molded of plastic materials in two symmetrical or substantially symmetrical halves along a longitudinal center plane from the front to the rear of the figure, with the exception however that the rear portion of the body or base of the figure is preferably formed as a single piece and serves for the hinged opening whereby a shell in the shape of an egg may be placed and secured within the body of the toy.

In the figures the toy comprises a base shell member I and a head shell member 2 which may be molded as a unitary structure. The head may have also molded therewith an upper beak element 3. The head section has two substantially parallel sides 4 and 5 with cross partitions or walls 6 and 1 and a top slot 8 through which the coin will be inserted into the head piece. Pivoted on the under section of the head at the forward face is a beak member 9 which is supported in the boss I0 just rearward of the wall section I I of the head. The beak 9 will extend through a slot and be supported in the boss Ill by a pin 12 which is pivoted in a recess in the boss II). The rear section of the beak 9 beyond the point of pivot in the bass [0, carries an arm I3 with a fiat plate 14 at its end, which projects into the space between the partitions 6 and 1 so that when a coin is dropped down through the opening 8, it will hit the plate I4 and knock the lower beak 9 upward against the upper beak 3' making a substantial sound and also making a substantial sound when the beak 9 hits the breast region [5 at the forward section of the body I. The body I which is of shell construction has a forward inwardly projecting flange or wall I6 which fits into a slot I! in the forward end of the hollow egg member l8. The flange l6 may be tapered so that a more secure fit may be obtained for the egg member [8. The hollow egg member or shell I8 is also supported at the back by a pin I9 which extends from the back section 20 of the body or base projecting into a closely fitting recess in the end 2| of the shell IS. The rear wall section 20 of the body may be formed as an integral piece with the edge line indicated at 22 fitting into the rear of the forward section of the body I and making a smooth knit joint around the whole periphery of the body which will be an oval or circular shape. The rear section 20 of the body is joined to the front section I in a lower hinge 23 which may be of the type as indicated in Figure 4 in which one half of the hinge 25 is inserted and secured in the front section I and the other half 26 is inserted and secured in the rear section 20. The rear half of the body therefore will swing downward in the direction of the arrow A. The two halves may be secured together at the top in a lap joint as shown at 21 with the outer wall being the rear section 20 through which a screw 28 may be inserted extending into a slightly thickened section 29 of the front bady portion. Any other means of securing or latching the two halves together may be used, such for instance as a snap formed in the material itself, or a spring snap attached to one or the other of the elements. The egg member is held substantially firmly by the front flange l6 and the rear projecting support 19. The egg element itself is preferably molded in two parts, a front part 30 and a rear part 3| which may be cemented together and joined along the lines 32 providing thereby a completely hollow egg element with a slot 33 in the top portion thereof facing the opening 34 between the head and body of the figure.

When a coin is dropped down through the head 8 in the direction of the arrow B, it will fall into the egg operating the lower beak 9 on its way down. Whenever desired, the egg, which may of course be colored in any desired color or gilded, will be removed and the coins taken out.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

A toy in the shape of a water fowl having a hollow body as a base with a hollow head section thereon having side Walls substantially parallel to each other, a beak having an arm extending inward into the head, means pivoting said beak with said arm at a point at one side of the head correspondingto position of the mouth of the water fowl, a 'coin slot formed "in the head with a slot opening at the top of the head and with said hollow head section providing with its substantially parallel side walls guides for the sides of the coins put into said coin slot, partitions extending crosswise of the head directingthe-eelns in their downward movement, said arm having its end extending into the path of the coin loelow said slot whereby as the coin falls down-- ward through the slot it will engage said arm to oscillatesaid beak, a shell in the form of an egg having an opening in one side aligned withsai-d 4 slot to receive a coin passed through the coin slot, means providing a flange projectin from the inside of the front of the hollow body engaging and fitting in a recess in said shell, means projecting from the inside of the rear end of the hollow body adapted to engage in said shell, and means hinging the rear end of the hollow body to the rest of the body whereby when the rear end is swung open the shell may be removed and when closed-said hinged rear end will hold said s'hel1 in place.

THOMAS C. MARTIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,2150%,04'6 "Whitney Aug. 18, 1914 1,160,820 Baur Nov. 16, 1915 1,594,847 Otto Aug. 3, 1926 1,679,658 Hall Aug. 7, 1923 2,448,807 Kimball Sept, '7, 1948 

